Desert and Shadow
by Meandering Muse
Summary: What makes a Shadow and what makes a Sage? Oneshot. Fluff!


_**A/N: Well, here's the challenge completed. I'm actually quite fond of this one, but you guys are really the deciding factor. Tell me what you think! You know I always value your opinion. Also, I don't own Zelda. I would love to, but I don't, so there. Please review!**_

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The waterfall crashed behind the back of Dark Link. He sighed, settling onto the doorstep of Zora's Domain. With a yawn he sat back onto his hands, gazing around him. The lush grass blew in the light wind, and the sky was bright and blue, scattered with clouds. The soft spray of water from the fall cooled his face as he leaned over to his pack and pulled out his most prized possession. The ocarina he held in his hand was an exact replica of the Ocarina of Time excepting, of course, its color. It was black as night, with a glossy sheen that seemed to give in a magic all its own, almost a shadow of the world like he was.

_'But we are all shadows, in our own way. I'm just the shadow of the Hero of Time who defeated Ganondorf.' _The Shadow shook his head, _'Nothing but a replica, but he is gone now. Disappeared. It's just me left. I wonder why I'm still here.' _

Shrugging, he put the instrument to his lips, why he was still existing was a thought for another time. The melody coursing in his veins demanded attention. With a slight shudder as the wind blew through his tunic he began to play. The music that emerged was unlike any he had ever played before. Vibrant, rich, fast, and strangely it reminded him of the desert, with the dry winds and Gerudo. He closed his eyes and continued his melody, the grass and the waterfall harmonizing.

A flash of brown light interrupted his meditation. Lifting his eyes he saw a Gerudo herself standing on the land-bridge opposite him, her dark bronze skin seeming almost out of place with the lush green landscape. His eyes trained up from her Arabian style pants which were a flashy pink, to her bare midriff, fit and tan, to the jewel on her neck and finally to her face.

He smiled with recognition, his red eyes flashing with humor. "Ah, if it isn't the Spirit Sage," he chuckled, the wind tossing his hair with its fingers, "Come to bring me wherever the hell I'm supposed to be?"

The Sage smirked and made her way down the bridge to climb up the ladder, her red hair blowing like a banner behind her, still in the custom tight ponytail, it's jewel embedded in the band catching the sunlight making her look all the more lovely. When she reached the top she made her way towards him and sat down beside him, causing him to frown a little. He didn't expect to actually talk with the beauty, more like taunt her until she went away. He wasn't used to speaking to others.

Nabooru sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and let her feet dangle over the edge of the bridge, kicking them back and forth lightly. "Actually, I came to talk to Ruto, but she can wait." The light breeze gently caressed their skin as they talked, causing the Gerudo to smile, "You're much more interesting anyway." She paused, then after a moment said, "So, what was that song you were playing? It sounds familiar."

"I'm not sure. It came from here." The bard pointed to his chest, "I'm not sure what's in there, but it beats and it helps me create melodies."

"Some people would call it a heart," Nabooru laughed, "but, as a shadow, do you have one?"

Dark Link turned his head away, pain etched on his face. "I'm not sure," he whispered sadly, "I don't even know why I'm here."

The Sage of Spirit sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Everyone's here for a reason, Link, for good or for bad. And something tells me you're here for the good."

The man laughed then, his voice hoarse from the lack of practice, "I? Who almost defeated whom I could almost call my twin?" He smirked, gazing into Nabooru's emerald eyes, "If you call that good, then I suppose that's what I am." He glanced at her hand, wondering why it was there. It felt so natural, and the warmth that radiated from it felt good. His eyes flitted back up to Nabooru's eyes, full of something like wisdom. _'She understands,'_ he realized, his heart singing once more, _'she knows.'_

"And I was a thief, a murderer," The Sage of Spirit whispered, squeezing his shoulder, "now I am a Sage. What you were in the past, isn't who you are now." Swiftly her hand moved from his shoulder and she snatched his hat from his head. "Or is it?" Her green eyes twinkled as she leapt to her feet, dashing down the ladder and across the bridges.

Dark Link gasped. She was fast! Growling he got to his feet, his red eyes twinkling as he jumped off the ledge and rolled, landing safely on a bridge and getting back to his booted feet, dashing after the Gerudo. The chase persisted up to the fence, where the idiot bean seller still sat, chomping away on his magic beans.

The Shadow smiled, she was only a few inches away now. He could smell the desert of her hair, and hear her pant as she ran. Laughing he pounced, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled her down to the ground. They wrestled for a minute, shade and sunshine, until Dark Link managed to pin her to the soft green grass.

He gazed into her eyes, smiling as he saw his future radiating there. She was so perfect, so real, feminine, _understanding_, beautiful, all he could ever wish for. Gently he leaned forward and pressed his warm lips to hers, gasping slightly as he felt her arms wrap around him. The melody was once again playing throughout the air as the kiss parted. He smirked, placing his hand in hers, taking back his hat, "I believe this is mine," he whispered before being pulled into another, long, lasting kiss.


End file.
